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Confined living

Rachie

Mama Doe
My two have always been free ranged house buns, with more space being opened up to them under supervision but they've never been caged. Oliver did have a cage for his first few months with me but the door was removed and I got rid of it once he'd been neutered and recovered etc.

I'm struggling with how destructive they have become. Well, more my OH is starting despair at them destroying his house!

I'm not really sure where to go/what to do. I really don't want to have their space confined but I'm wondering about dog crates etc - it just seems cruel to have them 'shut up' when we're not at home/asleep etc. I really don't want them living outside - going out for play time is fine but I wouldn't want them outdoors

Thoughts/advice?
 
I know how you feel hon, my buns have just had to go outside after eating my leather furniture....the last straw in a long list of damaged stuff :cry:

I really had no choice but if you look on my other posts 'Charlie and Daisy's new pad', you can do a lot to give them a good life outdoors.

If you really don't want that, do you have a spare room you can bunny-proof rather than them having all of the house to damage? Or if you need to confine them while you're out/asleep, can you not maybe pen off an area in the main area they use? If not, dog crates tend to be a little small but you could get a decent sized hutch maybe?

Up until today, Charlie was actually confined to a five foot long side board that had been converted to a hutch for him. It's an expensive way of doing things....I paid £250 for the sideboard....but it matches all my other furniture and was much better than having a shop-bought hutch in the living room. I bought it specifically to convert for Charlie so I made sure it had plenty of height and depth and lockable doors. It will now be easily converted back to a usable sideboard but it did a fab job and was more aesthetically pleasing too.

I know five foot is shorter than the recommended hutch size but I felt it would do just fine as Charlie did free-range the house most of the time....just like yours will....here's the sideboard.....

P8100032.jpg
 
The only time I tried to confine Louie was after his neuter. I set up a metal puppy playpen in the conservatory, puppy pads on the floor, hay in a rack, snugglesafe and blanket.

He was in it for a minute and he was literally picking the run up by putting his teeth under it and moving it. I left him to it for 10 minutes, then gave up and he went back to freeranging :roll:

I don't think I could ever contain him in anyway.
 
They're mostly confined to the bathroom at the moment until we get the rest of the house bunny proofed (there are a few reasons why it hasn't been done yet - I'm only just moving in here permanently, when OH and I first got together me and the babbits would come and go but I haven't 'gone' for a few months now :lol: ).
The bathroom could fit a double bed in it, even with the bath, sink and toilet so they aren't short on space! Then they have free range and outside time when we can supervise them.

They've chewed all the filler away from around the toilet waste pipe and are working their way through the plaster on two corners of 'sticky out' walls.

I really really don't want to have them outside. I'm not sure why, but in our new house, some how in my mind it doesn't seem like it'll be an issue. They've become really sociable buns again in the last couple of months. It's my OH that is more bothered about the damage than me - I've always been quite free and accepting of whatever they've done in the time I've had them, but we're in his house now :oops:

Ach, what to do!
 
if you don't want to do "outside" would you consider a shed? Mine are really happy (I think) in theirs. They've got an open hutch in there and it gives them a lot of extra protection from heat/cold/rain. I wouldn't like my house trashed but I don't mind if they trash the shed :D
 
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